Economic Revival in the Heart of Southern Utah

Our Rural Director, Lenise Peterman, knows firsthand what it takes to fight for and reinvest in rural communities.

Our friends at Resource Rural created this fantastic video highlighting how Lenise's local leadership, public funding, and community vision are helping Helper, Utah rebuild on its own terms. Once shaped by coal and rail, this small town in Carbon County faced real loss when extraction pulled out. Instead of giving up, local leaders and neighbors got to work, using public funding as a tool to restore their hometown on their own terms.

At the heart of Helper’s comeback is the Price River. With support from federal funding and a long-term partnership with Trout Unlimited, the community removed old dams, restored wetlands and fish habitat, and brought seven miles of river back to life. What was once a symbol of decline is now a place to fish, float, and gather.

Video created by the Utah-based Mustafa Bin Javed.